


dormiat

by ivelostmyspectacles



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Season/Series 01, uh in the sense that Jon is being... kind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 09:32:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18312920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/ivelostmyspectacles
Summary: “Right, I’ve talked to Elias, and he said he would…” Stopping in the doorway, Jonathan trailed off.Martin was asleep.[Set following MAG22: Colony]





	dormiat

That text had been… rattling, he supposed. Or perhaps it was more the fact that, while he had thought he had been in contact with Martin for the past two weeks, kept… _too_ well appraised of his ‘stomach bug,’ the texts hadn’t been from the man at all. Now, while it wasn’t quite on his list of ‘Favorite Things to Pass the Time,’ he would _prefer_ to talk to the man himself rather than the closest approximation of what may or may not have been Jane Prentiss.

More than likely, it was someone playing a prank. A practical joke. But then, Jon supposed, it begged the question of _who_ would know such intimate details about Martin, about where he worked from day to day, and why they had taken such interest in detailing just why Martin wasn’t showing up to said job. Why they had been so interested in being certain no one would come looking for him.

_Keep him. We have had our fun. He will want to see it when the Archivist’s crimson fate arrives._

A bit… disturbing. As though he wasn’t well up in that particular occurance.

Nonetheless, first Martin’s… tale, and then a suspect text with a clear intent on his own safety. A practical joke or not, _someone_ was interested in the Institute.

Elias had taken the explanation with little reaction, read the text with as much expression as Jon was used to seeing from the man. The request for more security had been granted, with a calculated ‘I’ll make certain you have no cause for worry’ and… that was that.

His own texts to Sasha and Tim had been equally as candid, but then, he’d never been one much for texting to begin with–

_Return home before dark. There’s been a threat made to the Institute’s safety, so we are preferring to play it safe for the time being. Attend Elias for more details._

– with a varying amount of concerned response in reply from either. Frankly, Jon was surprised he hadn’t been ambushed by Sasha in the hallway yet himself. There would be time for it later, however. They had a handful of hours of daylight left before their concerns drew them back to their homes.

For now, returning to the spare room in the Institute. He’d told Martin to go settle in, as the man had looked threat to shake himself to pieces following the recording and subsequent text, and Jon was hardly in the mood for another overemotional breakdown. The man’s entrance, red-faced and panting, complete with specimens of those worms, had been _quite_ enough, thank you.

Still… these coincidences. There were similarities in stories, connections to their everyday lives… still coincidence, Jon was certain, but… _unnerving,_ perhaps. As it stood, Elias had taken the specimens, so perhaps they would learn more on their unfriendly, increasingly _popular_ feature soon enough.

For now… “Right, I’ve talked to Elias, and he said he would…” Stopping in the doorway, Jonathan trailed off. Martin was asleep. He’d left the man only long enough to play the recording and have the conversation necessary afterwards, but here Martin was, sprawled loose-limbed across the small cot prepared for the overnight stays, looking overly large for the space, drained, and, well… a lot of a mess, really.

… given the last two weeks the man had claimed to have, perhaps he was, at least, permitted that. While Jon wasn’t precisely certain on _what_ had happened to Martin, or how much of the story was believable, it was all very out of the ordinary. Perhaps, this once, Martin deserved the rest.

Jon sighed. His meeting with Elias was unimportant enough to not wake Martin up for. For the few remaining hours of daylight left to them today, they would all be present at the Institute, should anything happen. There was no harm in letting the man sleep. He’d wake him before he left for home, to be sure, but for now… yes, he’d let him sleep.

Oh, what a mess.

Was this the usual stress of the job? Jon wondered, pushing his hand through his hair. There had been those coincidences, and now he was beginning to have suspect thoughts on his previous Archivist’s involvement here… namely to say, he was starting to wonder not only on the state of her disorganization, but the manner of her death as well.

It didn’t bear dwelling. Certainly the job of Head Archivist was going to be more labor intensive than he had previously expected. It was all a part of the job.

A quick nudge of his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and then Jon turned away from the open doorway in the room where Martin slept. All a part of the job, and standing here was accomplishing nothing. Martin’s testimony aside, he still had case 0022010 to finish off. The work was never done.

Unlike Martin, Jon couldn’t afford to rest.


End file.
